Japanese Patent No. 4226404 (JP 4226404 B) discloses a work machine comprising a handle device provided to a steel chassis frame, wherein the handle folds up during transportation or movement. The handle device has a handle bracket fastened to a plate-shaped bracket provided to the chassis frame, a supporting base plate held by a bolt passed through a disc spring and fastened to the handle bracket so as to not turn, and a handle held by the bolt passed through the disc spring and fitted with the supporting base plate so as to turn. A manual locking mechanism engages with the handle bracket when the handle is in its use position.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2010-7577 (JP 2010-7577 A) discloses a handle device in which a towing handle of a power generator is folded up with a positioning structure.
In this positioning structure, when the towing handle is turned downward, a stopper near the towing handle fulcrum comes in contact with a regulating part of the case of the power generator, and the towing handle therefore stops when accommodated in the case. When the towing handle is pulled out by turning to a transportation position, the stopper reverses and stops at another regulating part provided to the 180° position. The stopper then passes by an elastically deformable convex holding part; therefore, the transportation position is thereafter maintained by the holding part.
However, with the handle devices disclosed in JP 4226404 B) and JP 2010-7577 A, the structure of the handle device is complicated, a large number of components are used, and there is scope for improvement.